Integrity Title, LLC

10/29/2026

Market update from COTALITY:

"We're talking about inflation because obviously rising costs of everyday goods and products, they keep haunting household budgets, quietly eroding buyers' purchasing power and pushing homeownership further out of reach..."

Cotality's Molly Boesel sits down with Allie Barefoot to unpack five scary trends in the housing market.

10/28/2026

Grateful to the fantastic Operation Shamrock for highlighting the role of deed scams in larger fraud-busting efforts. In Georgia, we are lucky to have the free FANS - File Alert Notification System - that any homeowner can sign up for to receive alerts when an item is filed in the real estate records. To sign up for a free FANS account, go here: https://fans.gsccca.org/ .

Operation Shamrock states:

"If you purchased an owner's title insurance policy when you bought your home, review the policy or contact your insurer to understand what it covers.

Be skeptical of advertisements for “title lock” services that claim they can prevent someone from stealing your home. The Federal Trade Commission warns that title-lock services don't actually lock your home's title or prevent a fraudulent transfer. The services generally monitor property records and alert customers to certain changes — after they’ve been made."

https://www.operationshamrock.org/blog/2026-10-deed-fraud-title-fraud

10/16/2026

Bank of America fined $1.2 Billion

As part of its resolution with FinCEN, Bank of America admits that it willfully violated the BSA (Bank Secrecy Act) and failed to implement and maintain an AML (Anti-Money Laundering) program that met the minimum requirements of the BSA and FinCEN’s implementing regulations, conduct due diligence for correspondent accounts for foreign financial institutions, and file Suspicious Activity Reports.

https://www.fincen.gov/system/files/2026-10/BoA-Consent-Order-Execution-Final.pdf

10/15/2026

High density, apartments, commercial, infill, pocket builders welcome and very much needed.

I hope you're ready for the 3rd Annual Austell Downtown Walk this upcoming Saturday!
Austell Towne Park
2780 Jefferson St., Austell, GA 30168
Saturday, October 17, 2026
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
A lot has changed in Downtown Austell since our last walk, and there’s even more on the horizon! Join Create Austell for our 3rd Annual Austell Downtown Walk: Southside Edition on Saturday, October 17th. We’ll walk the downtown, see some of the progress firsthand, and talk about four major pieces shaping what comes next:
• Austell Towne Park and its role as a new gathering place bringing people and activity downtown
• The Downtown Infill Overlay District and the new framework for more predictable, walkable downtown development
• The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and efforts to revitalize its role in supporting downtown investment and economic development
• Mixed-use development and opportunities to bring more housing, businesses, restaurants, and activity into the downtown core
These efforts build on a longer-term vision for a more active, walkable downtown, including priorities identified in Austell’s 2021 LCI study.
Come walk, learn, share your ideas, and connect with others who care about Austell.
See the progress. Shape what’s next.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DJPNUCBSi/

Photo by Anjali Lokhande

10/14/2026

Detailed new report identifying the "magic number" that Buyers are seeking in the rate market. Spoiler alert: not happening anytime soon.

From Cotality:

While there are nuances across markets, our latest research uncovered the "magic numbers" that would compel one in four prospective buyers to re-enter the market . But knowing that rate is only half the battle.

Buyers have an interest rate that would persuade them to participate in the housing market:

In the U.S. that number is 4.6%.

That’s the median rate, and every one of the five countries Cotality surveyed came up with its number. While there are variations, the message is clear: buyers believe that a lower interest rate will make the homeownership ladder possible.

Homebuyers across five markets are adapting to make ownership possible. The series debuts a Q2 2026 survey, supplemented by Cotality's proprietary datasets.

08/12/2026

Thank you to the Atlanta Federal Reserve for providing a recent update on the Atlanta housing market. Summary below.

Two factors impact the housing market: inflation and migration. Inflation is currently above 3% which is higher than the targeted 2%. International migration is down due to immigration policy and domestic migration is also down, likely due to the rate lock effect of existing homeowners having little motivation to leave their great rates.

The median income in Atlanta is currently $97,000 per year and the medium PITI monthly payment is $3100 per month, a monthly payment that reflects 38.6% of monthly income, above the targeted affordable percentage of 30%. This means that median income would have to increase to $124,000 a year (equal to a 30% raise) for housing to be considered affordable.

Interest rates are currently holding at the exact long term (since 1974) average of 6.7%

07/10/2026

An earnest money deposit is one of the most important moments in a real estate transaction. While you can certainly still bring in a check or send a wire for your deposit, INTEGRITY has been pleased to be an early adopter of EARNNEST, who we partner with to make every transaction simpler and more secure. EARNNEST is built for real estate.

Make your next Georgia real estate transaction easy by sending your contract to [email protected] or dropping a text to 470-518-9830.

07/09/2026

LOVE to see this. We worked on a few of these MV Mistakes last year and were very relieved to see the AG succeed in obtaining some relief for Georgia property owners.

Public Service Announcement: If you own real estate, please DO NOT SIGN ************ANYTHING************** without getting another adult person's opinion. A lawyer, an agent, a church member, a neighbor, Clark Howard, Google, Chat GPT. Something. Don't just sign a document without understanding it.

🚨 $1 MILLION secured for homeowners who paid a ridiculous early termination fee to end a predatory contract with MV Realty.

If you cheat Georgians — putting their life savings at risk — we’re taking you to Court and shutting down your operations.

Those impacted have been identified and will be contacted by our Consumer Protection Division.

06/29/2026

Market Monday~

This is not good news for real estate, but it is also not a guarantee. I like to reference Enron and 2008 on my list of notable analyst failures... Anyways, BOA analysts project a tightening of the belt in the remaining 2026 Federal Reserve meetings:

Bank of America Global Research economists expect the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates three times this year...

https://www.thestreet.com/fed/bank-of-america-bombshell-fed-interest-rate-outlook

04/16/2025

GA is still in the clear. No additional compliance requirements for real estate transactions. (Read: send me your contracts!)

Georgia again is left off the list of states required to comply with additional fraud and money laundering rules.

FinCEN renewed the GTOs that cover certain counties and major U.S. metropolitan areas in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Texas, Washington, Virgina, and the District of Columbia.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) on Oct. 15 renewed its Geographic Targeting Orders (GTO) that requires U.S. title insurance companies to identify the natural persons behind shell companies used in non-financed purchases of residential real estate. The terms of the GTOs are effectiv...